Living in the Past-Recovered
by Ekly Valdur
Summary: Set in the Mirari Timeline (At first, muahaha :D). When Gohan goes to fight the Androids for the final time, there's one minor change. Gohan lives! See what this will change when the time comes to warn Goku about the heart virus.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, long long ago I joined as a highschool teen. I wrote a few stories, got quite a few good reviews and had fun. Then my account was hacked. I became so frustrated trying to get my account back with no luck that I basically stopped coming here. When I recently returned I decided to check out some of my old stories, see if they were even still here. Not only were they still here, but after ten years with no updates on my account, someone still requested I update this story.**

**I was surprised, and thought if I re-read my old work and it really were decently good, I could try to revive it.**

**I tell you all this because I don't want to get reported for reposting a story, because this is MY story, and I want to finish it. My old screen name was Kakkabrat. If you can't tell, my absolute favorite anime character at the time was Gohan. Back in 2003-2004 it was really popular in fics to have Vegeta call Gohan Kakabrat-because he is the brat of Kakarot. **

**Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

Son Gohan knew this was to be his end. The androids had already decided to finish him off. He knew this, and still he had gone to fight. If he didn't go to them then they would continue their current rampage indefinitely while hunting him down. That is just how the son of Goku was, he could never put his own well being above all of the innocent people that the emotionless, soulless beings that were so intent genocide for their own amusement.

It seemed ironic that Gohan would die just as a haunting, dark storm was forming. How could one that had done so much good in his short life die under such circumstances? Yet, at the same time, it was fitting. With everything else the rain would wash away, so would the warrior's fight. Not only that, but just as everything begins anew after being cleansed by a daunting storm, and rises to be even better than it had once been; Gohan knew the same would happen with Trunks.

Gohan knew that his death would hurt Trunks, that it could even take a few years for the kid to get over it. Gohan also knew, that with his death, Trunks would get that push he needs to transform. Trunks would be the one to do it, he would be the one to defeat the androids. Gohan wasn't needed anymore, he was done.

He was tired.

"How fitting," Android Eighteen said as she smirked at him, flying close when they saw he was waiting for them. It had started to rain, and booming thunder could be heard lightning would streak through the sky.

"Yes," Said the raven haired Android Seventeen, staring at Gohan with his cold, icy blue eyes, "this storm will be the perfect backdrop for your demise."

Both androids attacked at once, much as they normally did. Yet, somehow, this was different. The androids were completely focused on this fight, this time, they were determined to get him the way they had failed to get him only a few short weeks ago. Last time they had intended to take his life, but had only managed to take his left arm.

It really pissed them off.

That was why they focused, because they now had a goal. There was a purpose to this fight, unlike all of the others. All of those other times, it had only been a game to them, and they knew that after he was gone, that they would have someone else to play with. They knew that Trunks would keep on fighting and, that for now, Trunks wasn't a threat to them.

As the fight raged on, Gohan knew that they already had the upper hand. He couldn't fight both of them very well with only one arm for long, now when they were determined to have a certain end result.

"You may kill me, but you will never kill what I represent. There will be others that will take my place!" Gohan shouted, trying to get out of his defensive mode, and do some damage to the androids. Gohan concentrated his energy, and shot it at Android Seventeen, managing to send him into a nearby building. However, Gohan's small victory was short lived.

Androids Seventeen and Eighteen were soon side by side, and raised their hands. The next thing he saw did not scare him, it only confirmed that this was his end. A bright yellow light soon encompassed him, burning him, making him scream... Then, everything got dark...

* * *

"Go-han!" Trunks called out to his mentor, hoping Gohan would answer, maybe give some kind of signal to show where he was. Yet, the only thing Trunks could hear was the rain, and could see nothing but the ruined city, the latest in the ever-growing list. "Go-han!" Still, there was no sign of Trunks' sensei, so so kept flying, looking all over the city until he saw a bit of orange down on the ground.

Trunks flew down quickly, and started walking toward the motionless orange lump. Trunks nearly panicked, it seemed as though Gohan had already died, but then, Trunks felt it. He could feel Gohan's ki! That meant Gohan was alive, though just barely. Trunks felt so relieved, he almost wanted to laugh.

Trunks quickly grabbed his mentor, and started flying home. His mother would be able to help Gohan, she would treat him, and he would be okay... then Trunks could yell at Gohan for nearly getting himself killed. Trunks looked at Gohan as he continued to fly home, he just didn't understand why Gohan had decided to face the androids alone. Gohan had to have known he didn't stand a chance against them alone now.

No! He couldn't believe that about Gohan, it just wasn't possible. Gohan wouldn't just give up on everything, he's worked too hard and long to just give up. Gohan wasn't like that, he just wasn't! If Gohan had taught Trunks anything it was to never give up. Giving up was not an option, especially for them, not when they had the lives of so many people relying on them. Gohan wouldn't do that to everyone.

Trunks then flew down toward Capsule, and ran inside to find his mother, so she could save Gohan.

* * *

So... was he dead? No, Gohan couldn't be dead, he hurt too much. Gohan groaned as he opened his eyes, then waited for everything to come into focus.

He was in a bed at Capsule, but how? Gohan tried to talk, so he could get someone in there he could ask, only, he couldn't. Then he realized he couldn't talk because of the tube that was down his throat. So until someone decided to check on him, he was basically stuck . . . When Gohan looked around the room a little more, he could see that it was daytime now. The sky was clear, and the sun was bright.

Gohan just didn't get how he could still be alive. Why hadn't the androids finished him?

His first fight with them would continue to be the fight that he could remember most distinctly. Most of the fights since that first one have somewhat blended together, but that first attack . . . That day Gohan had lost his closest friends. One by one, the androids had slaughtered Earth's Special Forces. Tien, Chioutzu, Yamcha, Vegeta . . . They were the first to die. Then the androids decided to turn it into a game as they continued to kill.

_Piccolo, Krillen, and Gohan knew not to face the androids one at a time. The three warriors worked together in an effort to survive. Then the androids had attacked Krillen, ki blasted him, he didn't stand a chance. Gohan had gone into a rage, just as he had so many times before when he was scared or in just too much danger. Gohan had attacked Android Seventeen, surprising the android with the sudden burst of power, but Gohan's efforts meant nothing. Android Seventeen soon managed to get Gohan good, by managing to kick him in the gut and ki blast him into the ground._

_Gohan could hear Piccolo yell his name, but that was soon followed by a scream. When he opened his eyes, he saw both of them standing above him, looking at him as if amused._

_"What shall we do with this one Seventeen?" It was the cool, confident voice of the female android. She put the tip of her boot under Gohan's chin, lifting his face up so she could get a better look at him._

_"He was fun to play with, I saw we leave him. We may have found ourselves a plaything to entertain ourselves with." Android Seventeen stated. Then Gohan saw them both smirk, and Eighteen pulled her foot away._

_"Fine," Eighteen said, "we will let him entertain us for a while before we finish him. He won't do us any good now though, let's get out of here."_

_Gohan had lain there, unable to move, for what seemed like hours. When he did finally manage to stand, what he saw made him feel sick. The bodies of Earth's Special Forces . . . The mutilated corpse of Piccolo._

_Gohan had called for Nimbus, managed to get on, and had then passed out. The next thing he knew, he had been in his room with his mother._

Then, for the next fourteen years, Gohan had continued to fight the androids. Only now, he no longer provided entertainment, he had become a threat.

"Gohan, you're awake!"

Gohan looked toward the door, it was Trunks. Gohan wanted to say or do something, but he couldn't. All he could do was lay there looking at Trunks.

"MOM!" Trunks shouted, "Gohan woke up!"

Gohan winced, Trunks' yelling really hurt his sensitive hearing. Gohan could tell that Trunks was really happy to see that he was awake, which only made him feel worse about what he had tried to let happen.

"So soon?" Bulma called from another room, "You Saiyans, I swear." Bulma said as she walked in. Bulma had been midly surprised by how soon he had woken up after the last beating he'd gotten from the androids too. Just one of the advantages of being a Saiyan...

"Vitals are up, heart rate normal . . ." Bulma was checking some of the machines he was hooked up to, grinning just a bit as she did. "It looks like you're out of danger now, would you like to try breathing on your own?"

Gohan nodded slightly, he was uncomfortable like this. He watched Bulma as she unhooked the attachment to the tube that was down his throat that had been helping him to breathe, and tested his lungs, focusing on breathing.

"Alright, your lungs seemed to have healed." Bulma said as her hand went to the piece of plastic sticking out of his mouth. "On three I want you to blow hard."

Gohan gave her a weak thumbs up, this wasn't the first time he had been put on a respirator, he knew how this went.

"One . . .Two . . .Three!" Bulma then pulled on the tube, and it soon came out, and he started coughing for a little while, but soon got himself to stop.

"How . . .long?" His voice was weak, hoarse. He could hardly talk.

"It's been a little over three weeks," Bulma answered as she put the tube down, "we would have given you a sensu bean we managed to get a hold of, but we weren't sure you could eat it before your lungs would collapse. It's old, really old, I don't know what good it'll do."

Trunks walked up to Gohan, and handed him the bean, and Gohan managed to eat it. He tasted the bitter juice of the bean, it seemed even worse than he remembered. It took a moment, but he felt a sudden rush of energy, and most of the ache in his body disappeared. "Thanks, that's a lot better."

"I want to run some tests later," Bulma said quickly, staring at him. He knew that stare meant he wasn't to move until she did those tests, "but for now I'm going to finish dinner, I'm sure you're hungry Gohan."

Gohan smiled, closing his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck in his usual fashion. "I sure am!" Bulma simply shook her head as she walked out, obviously reminded once again of his father. He liked to do that. It made her happier, to spend a few hours thinking of his father, about a time before the androids.

Trunks then sat in the chair near Gohan's bed. Trunks didn't look as happy as he had been just a little while ago. His eyebrows were furrowed as if trying to decide something.

"Spill." Gohan said as he sat up and leaned against the wall. "What's wrong?"

Trunks stared at Gohan for a minute. "I want to know why."

"Could you be more specific?" Gohan asked, he wasn't really sure how to answer that broad of an explanation.

"Why did you do it? Why'd you knock me out and fight them alone?" Trunks was glaring at Gohan accusingly. Gohan could tell that Gohan had thought that would be his last fight against the androids.

"There's no one reason Trunks," Gohan said slowly, "there were a lot of reasons I did what I did that night. Things just didn't work out like I'd planned."

"You mean you didn't get to die." Trunks said coldly.

"Trunks, it wasn't like that. I didn't want to die." Gohan stated calmly.

"What did you want Gohan? Why did you go to die?" Trunks' voice was rising, as was his anger.

"I wanted to satisfy the androids with myself so that when you fought them again they wouldn't kill you too. Trunks, with both of us gone Earth wouldn't stand a chance. The androids had already decided to finish me, I wanted to be sure they wouldn't get you too."

"We could have faced them together, I'm stronger now. We could have won." Trunks still seemed angry.

"Not yet Trunks, you aren't ready." Gohan paused for a while. "Look Trunks, I did what I did because I was convinced it was the right thing to do. I knew you'd beat them after I was gone." He looked at Trunks, who still didn't seem convinced. "Do you really think I would want to die? Leave my mother and you and your mom, with even less protection from the androids?" Then Gohan saw Trunks' face fall, and hoped he'd convinced Trunks he didn't have a death wish.

"Gohan, there's something I have to tell you . . ." Trunks looked upset, more so than before.

"What is it Trunks?" Gohan asked quietly, sitting up straighter than before.

"After Mom got a real doctor to come here to fix you up, she left Capsule. I stayed to make sure nothing happened while the doc worked. Things went well enough and you were brought in here. When Mom came back, she had someone with her. Mom figured that if you didn't make it, your mom would want to be here for you..."

Gohan closed his eyes. Obviously something had happened to his mother.

"She freaked when she saw you. Ox King was upset too, but focused on trying to comfort your Mom. She hardly left your side for two weeks, but then . . . you had a relapse. Your lungs collapsed, and you almost didn't make it. After that, she snapped. I had been out training, so there wasn't anybody that could actually stop her. Ox King went along, trying to convince her to just stay put at Capsule . . . I found them both the next day. Gohan, I'm sorry . . . but they're both dead."

* * *

So what do you all think? Please let me know by leaving a review!


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't feel right.

It left him with a twisted feeling in his gut.

Right now, Son Gohan was playing delivery boy while Trunks briefs fought the androids alone.

It had taken a lot of convincing from Trunks, and even Bulma, for him to let this happen.

As far as they could tell, Seventeen and Eighteen were under the impression he was dead. His best guess to explain it was that his heart had probably stopped, possibly for a few minutes, making his ki untraceable. By some unknown miracle, it had started again by the time Trunks found him.

Bulma had decided that this was great, because she could force Gohan into helping her with his time machine while Trunks fought the androids. Of course she didn't_ want_ her son fighting them. But she did want a way to finish her time machine sooner.

He wasn't too much help as far as design went, his schooling had been put on a permanent hold years ago,but Gohan had other jobs. He would get sent on long trips to collect pieces they needed. He would use Bulma's blueprints and actually put the machine together. He could work so much faster than the aging scientist. The machine she hadn't anticipated finishing for another three years was now nearly complete.

He worked on it with her for the last six months. He had to see what injuries the androids had given Trunks each time he went to fight them alone.

It made Gohan feel sick.

Trunks still hadn't ascended, and fighting the androids alone without that extra power was hard. Gohan remembered what it was like for the first three years he fought them alone. Putting Trunks through the same thing was harder every time he left.

It would be different soon. After they built the time machine, and made a world that would be safe, they would come home and beat the androids together. If they stayed in the past for a while, they could even train where it was safe, where they wouldn't be noticed, and come back stronger.

Once they came back, the only way Trunks would fight alone would be if Gohan were really dead.

"I think just a few more finishing touches will leave it ready for it's Maiden Voyage, don't you think?" Bulme spoke with a certain amount of pride. This thing was her baby, and they had to make so many sacrifices to see it was built.

"Yeah, it's almost there. We could power through maybe, have it done by morning."

She smiled. "I want to do the last bits myself, but I'll get it done before dinner Mind getting it started while I work?"

"Sure." They never asked Bulma to prepare meals unless they were very, very simple. Like sandwich assembly simple. Gohan was no cook, but her could make rice and stir fry without burning anything. He stopped on his way out, and smiled at Bulma. "I can feel his ki, he's on his way home."

Bulma smiled more, focus coming back to her eyes. She always got so lost in thought when she stared at the time machine. "Good. I was hoping we could all eat together tonight. It'll be nice to do before you go on your trip."

"Yeah. I'll get it started."

He went to the kitchen, and he practically wore a smile himself. This was Trunks' last fight alone, and he was okay.

And they would soon both get a short break from the hardships of their world, it was hard not to be eager.

He was going to see his father. It was hard to guess just how he'd react upon seeing him. It's been nearly fourteen years since his father's passing, and missing him still hurt.

Gohan started by putting rice on, before grabbing whatever he could to chop up for his stir fry. Nothing they had was particularly great. Food was hard to come by. Feeding two Saiyans became increasingly difficult. The two were never full after a meal.

"Mom's making you cook again?" Trunks made it home, and it looked like he really was in decent condition. The androids must have gotten bored quickly today.

"I don't mind."

Trunks was silent now, not wanting to say anything about the thing they didn't mention.

The kid always felt bad watching Gohan having to adjust in simple tasks to make up for the loss of his arm. No matter how strong the remaining arm was, some things were just harder to do without two.

Apparently it didn't matter how many times Gohan told the younger half-saiyan to get over it.

"My mom tried to teach me more about cooking you know. I didn't pick up much... but it helps me feel a little closer to her." He smiled at Trunks with his care-free happy face, the look his father had always worn. "So I kinda even enjoy it. Besides, it's not like you want your mom cooking instead of me, right?"

"Right." Trunks relented, giving him a small defeated smile. It was no secret Gohan could tell when Trunks was feeling guilty.

"We're probably going to leave after dinner tonight. You're up to it, right?" Gohan looked up from dicing to see Trunks' face better.

"Tonight? Really, it's done?!" Yep, the excitement was there. They were all ready to go make a better world.

"Your mom is doing final touches now. But hey Trunks, don't forget-"

"Meeting my father isn't going to be how I would want it to be. I can't tell him or my mom who I am, or I won't be born there. I know! You've both said it about a million times Gohan."

"We just don't want you to get your hopes up. Vegeta was a really tough guy, he-"

"He doesn't like to talk. He doesn't like new people. He won't even like my mom and no one there will like him. I know." He finished the speech that admittedly, Gohan and Bulma may have made too many times.

"Stop cutting me off." Gohan mumbled, acting more annoyed than he was. "You know why we keep bringing this up Trunks."

"I can handle it Gohan, really. My hopes are the opposite of up. But whatever kind of jerk he is, I'm still going to meet him. I want to do that, no matter how bad it will probably go."

"Okay, if you're sure Trunks. If you want to talk after, don't hesitate."

"I won't Gohan. That goes both ways. After you see your parents."

"Oh, I don't know if I should go see Mom. She'll have a complete meltdown when she sees me. And if I told her I never became a scholar? My hearing might never recover from that."

"If you don't, you'll wish you had when you come back." Trunks leaned against the wall of the kitchen, knowing better than to offer to help in preparing dinner.

"Maybe. But she doesn't have to know how I turned out. She wouldn't want to. My mom gave up fighting with me about it, but... It was really hard for her."

"I get it. Whatever you decide..."

It was true, he missed his mother. He wanted to see her too, but she really would be happier not knowing.

* * *

"You have all your Capsules, right? The whole stache, just in case?"

"Yeah Mom, right here." Trunks held up and waved the small Capsule Case. For the FIFTH time. Over worried much?"

"A mother can never be too scared for her baby."

"Mother!"

He was blushing now, looking at Gohan, and back to her and again and again.

She pulled him into a fierce hug then, catching him by surprise. She didn't say anything, and the hug just sorta lingered without letting up. "Be safe Trunks."

"You know I will be. And we'll be back soon. You'll see us in the morning."

"I know. You're right." She still didn't let go.

"Um, the sooner we go," Gohan interrupted meekly, "the sooner we get back, right?"

"You're right." Bulma tightened her hug for a moment, and kissed her son's forehead. "I love you Trunks. "

"I love you too Mom." Trunks blushed a little. He hated acting emotional in front of his mentor. He also knew if he tried too hard to avoid this his mother would only make it worse.

"You keeps those capsules on you, got it. Don't leave them in the time machine."

"Yeah, okay." Trunks climbed into the back seat. "I don't see what the big deal is."

Bulma looked at Gohan now. "Say hi to your dad for me, okay?"

"Sure. He'll like that." Gohan used his father's Son Smile, and gave Bulma a small hug. "Trunks will be fine, don't worry."

"I know. Now get going you guys." Bulma put on a smile and stepped back as Gohan got into the time machine. She watched the glass dome close to a tight seal, and she waved at her boys. She kept the smile on her face, because she could cry when they were gone. She was going to miss them both so much.

She kept her eyes on her son as the machine powered up, and he waved to her. She waved back with her smile. She wanted him to remember her with a smile, because it would be the last time he saw her.

* * *

The time machine blinked into a new time, and location. They were outdoors, in the daylight, and in the middle mountains. Gohan had set the coordinates to be near his childhood home, three days after Goku had come home from Yardrat. This way his father will have already defeated Frieza and his father, and everyone will have settled back home.

Gohan wanted a chance to talk to his father alone. Honestly, Gohan preferred to let his father explain things to his friends later. And this way, he didn't have to worry about how much the group trusted him, because when his dad gave them the news, they would trust Dad.

The ship settled into the grassy mountain valley. It was a small spot, not too visible thanks to surrounding trees. The pod glass doors opened, and Gohan and Trunks jumped out.

"It worked." Gohan smiled. "I can sense my dad." He turned to face the direction his father was in. As he saw it, they had two options. Gohan was going to flare his ki to get his father to come out to him, away from the family home. Not a good option since that would likely catch attention people like Vegeta and Piccolo. He wasn't ready for them yet. So the other option was walking to the house. That was dangerous because he still didn't really want his mother to know about him, and he really wasn't sure how he would handle a younger version of himself.

He closed his eyes a moment, feeling the breeze and listening to the sounds of the mountain. He'd really missed this, after living in the cities over the years.

He could try to just avoid talking to his mother. Maybe she wouldn't recognize him. Her Gohan would be there, in the house. Why would she suspect anything?

"You want to come?"

"Nah, I'm going to tell my father about all of this in person too." Trunks smirked, and it was always strange to see so much of Vegeta in him.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea Trunks."

"I'll be fine Gohan. My father is one person who is not likely to help in this fight just because your dad says he should. I can handle him."

"Well neither of you are Super Saiyan. I guess you can go ahead. Just really, really make sure you don't tell him who you are."

"I won't. I'll meet you here in a few hours." Trunks turned to the time machine, and pressed the button to capsulize it. They both flinched and jumped back as the entire bottom half of the time machine blew up.


	3. Chapter 3

They both stared at the remains of the time machine in shock. Billows of black smoke rose into the air from the flaming machinery, and Trunks fell to his knees.

"That... That couldn't have happened accidentally." Trunks balled up his fists tightly, trying to keep a certain amount of calm.

"You're right. Your mom would have had to do that on purpose. We're stuck here." It was a numbing feeling for Gohan. There was really nothing he would miss about his world besides Bulma. He really hadn't had anything left. But he'd still thought he would be going back there, to try to pick up the pieces once they finally beat the androids. He had no idea what he would do here after the androids.

"WHY? Why would she strand us here!?" Trunks screamed, and his ki was starting to rise.

"She must have decided you could have a better life here Trunks. Our world was almost completely totaled... There was nothing left. The humans could have all been dead by the time we managed to defeat Seventeen and Eighteen." Gohan knelt by his young friend, and put his hand on Trunks' shoulder, hoping he would calm down before too many people noticed him.

"I had her!" Trunks punched the ground, his hand making a hole in the soft dirt. "If she gave up on our world she should have at least come with us! Why would she want to die there alone?!"

"I can't really speak for her Trunks. I'm sorry. I really am. But you have to calm down or everyone will come here when they sense your energy. They don't know you, and they'll think you're a new enemy. We didn't want that kind of attention right away, remember? And since we'll have to say... we'll want a good first impression."

"I don't care about that!" Trunks screamed, pulling his shoulder from Gohan's hand.

"Care about what?"

Gohan looked up, and there was his father, just more than ten feet above them in the air, watching them as his fingers left his forehead. He had to of used instant transmission.

"My friend is just upset, we've lost our way home." Gohan stood as his father let himself land. It was a little startling to realize he was actually a bit taller than his father.

"Oh, maybe I can help..." Goku tilted his head. "You know, your energy is really familiar... and, uh, we kinda match."

Gohan smiled. He'd worn his father's styled gi's since he was twelve. It had been one of the few things that he could remember his mother smiling about. Partly, he knew she was just glad he wasn't wearing the purple gi designed to look like Mr. Piccolo's.

"I know. That was on purpose. I'm from the future, that was our time machine. It blew up when Trunks tried to capsulize it. We think Bulma did it on purpose, because things in our time were so bad... We came here to warn you, so you could change your future." Gohan tried to smile. "We came here so you could live when the next big fight comes."

"Why wouldn't I be here before the next fight?" Goku tilted his head. He usually did when he tried to think to much.

"In our time, you got sick. You died from a heart virus. Six months later, the androids attacked. Nearly everyone died in the first attack. Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, Chioutzu... Even Vegeta died fighting them."

"That's terrible. But what can you do about me getting sick?"

"We brought a cure. There wasn't one in this time." You'll be there this time. You'll fight."

"That sounds great, I can't wait for another good fight."

"I'm not surprised you'd say that." Gohan smiled. It was really, really good to see his dad healthy and smiling.

His head was still tilted though, thinking. "Tell me about the bad guy."

"There's two. Androids, built by Dr. Gero. They are incredibly strong. Stronger than a Super Saiyan."

"How are you sure of that? I didn't fight them. Did Vegeta ascend?"

"I know because they're stronger than I am. I'm a Super Saiyan."

"You are!" Goku smiled, excited, then his head straightened. "Gohan?"

"Yeah Dad, it's me."

It was quiet then. Trunks was finally calm, and Goku just stared at his son, taking in the sight of him.

Then Goku hugged him.

Gohan used his arm to hug his father back and relaxed. "I really missed you Dad. It's so good to see you. And now it looks like I can see you for a pretty long while. We can train together even."

"Hey, that sounds great." Goku stood back a little, but he looked uncomfortable. Gohan was used to some awkward looks.

"I know the arm takes getting used to."

"Oh! Uh, sorry... I am a little thrown. It was the androids that did that?"

"It was me." Trunks said it quietly as he stood.

"Trunks, you did not."

"I joined the fight when you said I wasn't ready. You were hit because you saved me front their attack and it didn't heal because you gave me your only sensu. We both know it was my fault."

"I'm not saying you weren't wrong when you didn't listen to me, but we all make mistakes. And we all make choices. I chose to give you the bean, and you don't get to feel bad about my choice." Gohan grabbed Trunks and made him turn to face them. "Understand?"

"I guess..." Trunks sighed. He knew arguing wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Good. Now that that's settled... I guess we go see Mom. Avoiding her won't really work since we're here for good." Gohan smiled a little, and faced his father again. "Once she sees me, getting her to let you train the younger Gohan will probably get a lot harder."

"You're right." Goku tilted his head again, then put it straight as his fist tapped his palm as an idea occurred to him. "Or we can say the best thing he can do is train so the androids won't be able to hurt him."

"She would prefer he hid in the house and did homework." Gohan sighed. "Nothing will convince her it's a good idea Dad."

"Heh, you're probably right. But she has to meet you. If she found out about you later she would hate me for keeping you a secret. Hey, by the way... just who is your friend?"

"This is Trunks. He hasn't been born yet, so it's best not to talk about his story. If his parents knew, they might stay away from each other."

"Gotcha. Well, lets go to the house. We can fly, or I can just instant transmit us there." Goku tapped his forehead. He was not tired of showing off his new trick yet.

"I don't think Mom would want you to appear in the house with two strangers. We should probably fly."

"Good point."

* * *

Goku stepped into his home alone. They'd all agreed it was better for him tell Chichi what was going on, and warn her what Gohan looked like. She was not going to be calm when she saw her son with one arm.

Oh, he could smell lunch from the doorway... He should probably ask her to put on another big pot of rice and noodles so Big Gohan and Trunks could join them.

He walked into the kitchen and put on his big smile. "Everything smells amazing Chichi. I can't wait to eat it!"

She didn't turn from the stove, but she did laugh a little. "That's what you say at every meal Goku."

"Well I always mean it."g

"So you were gone for a while, and now you don't seem to want to talk about why you left. What happened?"

"Well, there are these two guys who are kinda permanent guests here now, cause their time machine broke so they can't go back to the future. They came here to give me medicine and tell me that in three years two androids will attack the earth and I need to stop them, or they'll kill all our friends and most of the world." He sighed as he finished getting that all out in one breathe.

Now she turned around, a blank look on her face. "Goku... You're not serious?"

"Uh, yeah... We actually know one of them. Chichi, you need to try to stay calm, okay?"

"Goku..."

"At least wait to go outside and see him until I finish, okay? Please?"

"Alright, I promise."

"One of the men is Gohan. He's been fighting the androids alone since everyone else died. He said he's from sixteen years in our future."

"You mean there's a twenty-three year old Gohan outside! Goku, that's amazing!" She moved for the door, but he stopped her.

"Hold on. I'm not done Chi... Remember, he's been fighting two monsters for the last ten years of his life. He's not going to be the way you want Gohan to grow up to be. He's still a good man, and a great warrior. But he's had a really hard life, been in a lot of battles. He's been hurt really bad Chi. Before you see him you need to know he has some scars... And his left arm is gone."

"What?!" She moved to the door again, and this time Goku stopped her with a hug.

"He's going to be okay here Chichi. We know about the androids and we have three years to get ready. We'll beat them, and he'll stay here when it's peaceful. But you need to calm down a little before you see him. Seeing you cry for him will make him sad. Just... take a minute to let everything sink in."

She did stop, and she held onto him tightly.

"These androids, they killed you Goku?"

"Oh, no. I never got to fight them because I got sick and died. That's why they brought medicine. It' a cure. Between me and everyone else and a three year warning I have no doubts we'll win this fight. We just have to work hard, so things won't turn out the way the did for the older Gohan."

She nodded a little. "I'm okay now Goku." She pulled from his embrace and handed him a big wooden spoon. "Keep stirring the soup until I come in. I need to see our son."

Chichi walked past him, out the door, and straight up to the older Gohan outside. Goku watched from the window as they seemed to speak softly to each other, and his wife pulled their son into a very tight hug, pulling him down so she could reach around his neck. Goku smiled to himself. It would be okay.

* * *

**A/N: I want to thank all my reviewers for their comments. Just remember, the more comments I get the more eager I am to write! **

**I went to the DBZ wikia to check Goku and Gohan's heights. Gohan is actually one full inch taller than Goku.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took a bit longer than my other chapters. It was my birthday this week, so I was a little preoccupied. **

**Special thanks to kitsunelover300. I fixed my math in chapter three.**

**And thanks to all my other reviewers, I was amazed when after posting chapter three my reviews doubled! It makes me eager to get to work on new chapters.**

* * *

It was hard for Gohan not to stare at his older counterpart. After everything Mommy and Daddy had said about him Gohan wasn't afraid or anything. And the big Gohan seemed real nice a lot of the time, he acted silly like Daddy, especially when they were around Mommy. But sometimes, when everyone else stopped looking, the other Gohan seemed different.

Not like mean... but sometimes he looked real angry. And sometimes he just looked real sad.

They were all going to start training soon, but the big Gohan wanted to talk to Bulma about getting a gravity room before they started. He was sure it would make a big difference, and help them get stronger much faster. He wanted to have everyone as strong as possible before the androids came.

"You should just call her Dad. She'll make it for you if you ask." The older Gohan was in the living room talking to Daddy.

"I guess. I don't really like phones though. I can just go in person."

"Vegeta will give you trouble."

"Yeah, but he should find out about the androids too, so he'll train real hard with us."

"Maybe Bulma would tell him."

"You want to tell Bulma about the androids and your future world on the phone? I think Chichi said bad news on the phone is rude."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"I still want to go." Trunks stood up from the couch. "Let me go Gohan, you were going to before. And now I need to even more."

"Trunks, it will be harder now."

"I don't care! I'm going!" Trunks was shouting now.

Gohan wasn't sure he liked Trunks. He never seemed to be in a good mood.

"Let me come with you then." The big Gohan was staying calm while he talked. But he was serious. He had the look Daddy got whenever a big fight was about to start. That made Trunks seem even scarier. If he was such a good guy, why would big Gohan have to be so serious when he talked?

"I don't need you to. I won't be gone long Gohan. Just... let me do this without hovering over me. I need to seed both of them now." Trunks calmed down a little now. That was good. If they started fighting in the house Mommy would get really, really mad.

"Okay. Go ahead. Just... ya' know?"

"Yeah, I know Gohan. I'll be back in a couple hours. If I know my... Well, Bulma will be sure to have a gravity room ready for us in a few days if we ask now."

"Are you really sure she'll believe you on your own? The story we're telling is hard for anyone to believe, especially coming from a stranger. She can't read your ki to know you're being honest or anything."

"Gohan, let up already!"

Old Gohan sighed. He looked really annoyed. Like when you ask too many questions.

"Okay, I know you don't want me to go, and Dad will put Vegeta in a worse than normal moon. Maybe you can take MiniMe."

They both turned to look at Gohan. "I'll go if one of you ask Mom... I finished my school work for today, so she might say yes." His school work had been cut way back today, and Mom had even said it would stay that light for the next three years while they trained for the androids. The fight would be scary, but he did not mind doing less school work. He didn't need to review the material nearly as much as Mommy seemed to think he did. He spent most of his study time day dreaming anyway.

"Fine. If that's what it takes."

"I'll talk to Mom." Older Gohan went outside-Mom is doing the laundry out there.

Gohan walked over to Trunks and smiled. "It'll be be nice to go to Capsule. Bulma's mom always has fresh cookies, she'll let you have as many as you want."

"Oh... Yeah. Are they any good?"

"Didn't you ever have any of her cookies? She was your grandma, wasn't she?"

Trunks looked at him sharply. "What would make you say that?"

"It's not hard to figure out." He shrugged.

"You can't say anything to them."

"I won't, I promise. I don't think they'll notice. Daddy didn't figure it out, and he's known Bulma the longest. Gohan smiled. "I wouldn't try to keep you from being born Trunks."

"Uh, thanks..."

"I'm sorry you can't go home Trunks."

... "Thank you Gohan. You know it could be really weird being friends with two of you."

He smiled big. Trunks didn't seem scary anymore. "Weird isn't bad. It can be really good. Everyone thinks it's weird I'm friends with Piccolo too."

Big Gohan came back in. "Mom says it's okay as long you're back in an hour. Too long a visit would seem a little suspicious anyway."

"Yeah, okay. We'll be back in an hour." Trunks walked outside and Gohan followed him.

Gohan waved to his mom before they took to the sky.

Flying was his new favorite thing. He almost never got to do it just because he wanted to. Learning how with Piccolo had been a painful experience, but once he got the hang of it, it was amazing. He knew what it was like to sail through the sky with his father on Nimbus, but that was different. Flying on your own power brought a sense of freedom that he could never really feel otherwise.

They made their way to Capsule in silence, it was easy to tell Trunks didn't want to keep talking. So Gohan complied. Besides, talking and flying at once could be bad. Sometimes you could accidentally eat a bug.

They landed in the yard at Bulma's together, and both cringed at the screaming their Saiyan hearing picked up so well from inside.

"I am NOT getting you any more new clothes you ungrateful jerk, you never even thanked me for what I got you before!" Bulma's screams seemed even more high-pitched than usual.

"They were ridiculous Woman! You can't expect me to keep being seen in that ridiculous and _pink_ excuse for clothing!"

Gohan looked at Trunks. "Maybe we should come back another day. They seem pretty worked up."

Trunks was staring at the building, and for a second, he seemed to consider the idea. "No. I get the feeling there'll never be a good time." Trunks hesitated before stopping at the front door, and knocked.

* * *

The harpy stopped mid-scream when she heard her house ding at them.

Vegeta let his senses reach out to see if he knew the intruders. Surely enough, Kakarot's brat was out there. His companion was foreign to him however. If the woman was surprised when he followed her to the front door, she didn't comment.

"Oh hi there Gohan. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is..." The boy trailed off, looking at the ridiculous looking teen to continue.

"You can call me Junior. Gohan came here with me so when I spoke with me, you'd be more likely to believe me..."

"Believe what?" The woman leaned in the doorway, blocking Vegeta from their view. A not so subtle way to tell him to back off.

"I'm here from the future. With Gohan, or, the Gohan of my time. We came here in a time machine you built so we could warn everyone, Vegeta included, about the androids that are coming."

"And why would I care about that?" Vegeta pushed past the woman to get outside, and crossed his arms with a smirk.

"They we're talking to you yet jerk!" The woman batted at the corner of his shoulder with a fist. He nearly laughed at her expression when it did her no good, but then she acted as though it didn't happen as she looked back to the boys. "I made a time machine. Oh, let me see it!"

"I can't," the boy called "Junior" replied, he was staring at the ground now. How annoying. "The time machine was set to explode after we got here, so we couldn't go home. The androids were destroying everything. All we can guess is that you didn't see a reason for us to come back."

"Why wouldn't I have come with you then?" The woman's question was quiet. That was a first.

"I couldn't say. You... She didn't tell us what she was going to do. We didn't know we were stuck until we were already here."

"Get to the androids boy." Vegeta snapped at him, getting the boy's attention.

"They attack three years from now. In my time, they killed nearly everyone. You died in the first attack. Gohan was the only one to survive."

Vegeta stared at Kakarot's brat, and felt a small satisfaction as the boy stared back at him frightfully. "Is that so?"

"He thinks they decided it would be fun to mess with him since he was just a kid. He became strong though. He's a Super Saiyan."

That made Vegeta stop.

The brat became a legendary? Unacceptable!

"Everyone needs to train so we can change things," The boy continued, "Between the extra training and having me and Gohan, the older Gohan, we'll crush them. You could push yourself Vegeta, and help us beat them."

"I don't intend to leave this world before I defeat Kakarot. I will fight them." He would ascend. He would crush the toasters and he would destroy Kakarot.

"Do you guys want to come in for a snack? I want you to tell me all about future me." The woman was ushering the boys inside, eager for the most ridiculous kind of gossip she could get.

He stood alone outside for a moment when she closed the door on him as she lead her guests inside.

He smirked. The woman was entirely annoying, but she didn't back down from him. She didn't even hesitate to throw the first metaphorical punch. It was fun to play these little games with her. And it seemed now that he would be here to stay for the next three years while he trained.

He turned to the gravity room, his focus turning to himself again.

There were now two Super Saiyans on this planet, and Vegeta was not one of them. This needed to be corrected.


End file.
